Apparatus for heat exchange



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June 21, 1960 T. RAMEN APPARATUS FOR HEAT EXCHANGE Filed Oct. 9, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent The present invention relates to apparatus for heat exchange between two fluids (two gases, two liquids or a liquid and a gas of the type comprising a plurality of sheets arranged in an enclosure and defining passages of flow for the two fluids.

The main object of this invention is to enable construc- 'tion of large heat exchangers comprising large heat exchange surfaces.

The invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which show by way of example an embodiment thereof.

Figures 1 and 2 show two longitudinal sections of the apparatus taken at right angles to each other, the section of Figure 1 being taken between two sheets.

Figure 3 shows a fragment of the sheet pack in perspective view.

or another gas on one hand and a liquid on the other hand or two gases or liquids. The construction of the sheets 2 will be described more in detail later on.

carried at their is, at two opposed sides and adjacent with inlet or outlet ports 5 and 6 for 4. The casing 1 its ends, provided The sheets 2, the arrangement of which is best seen from Figure 3, are provided with longitudinal depressions 20 toward one side thereof and, longitudinally aligned with and alternating with them, depressions 21 toward the opposite side, the sheets being mounted so that depressions of each pair of sheets contact each other. Thereby, longitudinal passages are formed, some of which, such as 13, serve to admit the medium entering through one end port, 9 or 10, and leaving through the other of them, while the other passages, such as 14, serve to permit flow of the second medium entering through one lateral port 5 or 6 and leaving through the other Patented June 21, 1960 lateral port. To this purpose, the sheets are at the ends of the sheet pack bent and welded together in pairs, as shown at 15, so that the passages 13 are open toward the sheet ends and the passages 14 closed. Similarly, the sheets are bent along the sides of the sheet pack and welded together as seen at 16, but in this case so that the passages 13 are closed toward the sheet sides, and the passages 14 open. Thus, one medium which enters e.g. through 10 may pass into the passages .13 to flow along them to the opposite end of the pack and leave through port 9 without entering the passages 14, and the other medium entering e.g. through port 6 may pass into the passages 14 to flow along them to the other end of the sheet pack and leave through port 5 without entering passages 13. Small filling plates 22 are arranged to fill the spaces between the bent parts 16 of the sheets 2 and the frames 3 and 4.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown on the drawing, such embodiment being given merely as an example. Thus, for example, the sheets need not be welded together at their ends, but instead, the frames 3 and 4 may be replaced by box-shaped elements the bottoms of which have apertures in alignment with passages 13, but close passages 14. Furthermore, it is not necessary that depressions toward one side he at the same level, as shown, but the depressions may be arranged so that depressions toward one side in each longitudinal line are at the same level with depressions towards the opposite side in each adjacent longitudinal line, i.e. so that the depressions are staggered. Furthermore, the depressions toward opposite sides need not be of equal length, but, for example, the depressions directed toward passages 13 may be of greater length than the other depressions. Finally, it may be suitable, when high pressures are encountered in the heat exchanger, to make the sheet portions between the lines of curved instead of flat as shown on the drawing.

I claim:

Apparatus for heat exchange between two fluids, comprising, in combination: a casing, a set of flat, substantially rectangular sheets within said casing subject to high pressures exerted by. said fluids, said sheets being disposed in parallel relationship and spaced apart from each other to define non-communicating passages for the respective fluids, one fluid passing through every other passage between the sheets and the second fluid passing through the remaining passages between the sheets, each of said sheets being stiffened by longitudinal rows of depressions extending along the whole length of each sheet for resisting said high pressures, each row comprising a plurality of first longitudinal depressions directed toward one side of the sheet and a plurality of second longitudinal depressions directed toward the opposite side thereof, said first depressions being in longitudinal alignment with said second depressions and alternating with them, the ends of each depression in each row being close to the adjacent ends of the adjacent depressions in the same row and said sheets being mounted so that each sheet has its first depressions in contact with the second depressions of one adjacent sheet, and its second depressions in contact with the first depressions of the other adjacent sheet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,057,404 Beyer Apr. 1, 1913 1,823,788 Dewoitine Sept. 15, 1931 1,897,113 Doucet Feb. 14, 1933 1,990,752 Ragsdale Feb. 12, 1935 2,456,455 Simpson Dec. 14, 1948 2,526,157 Ramen Oct. 17, 1950 depressions slightly 

